A Flicker In Time
by Tarma Hartley
Summary: Tumblr prompts and set in the Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright universe. Phoenix Wright has a troubling image of a man with dark grey hair and piercing eyes but he can't remember who he is, why he's important to him or why his heart aches whenever he thinks of him. Phoenix Wright, Miles Edgeworth, Espella C., Maya F., Mrs. Eclair, Inquisitor Barnham. Some spoilers for PLPW.


_A/N: I do not own Phoenix Wright, Miles Edgeworth, Maya Fey, Mrs. Eclair, Espella Cantabella or Inquisitor Barnham; they belong to CAPCOM &amp; Level-5. The plot is from a mishmash of two Tumblr prompts.  
_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tumblr prompt: "Phoenix missing Edgeworth without knowing who he's missing" that ended up being mixed in-and pummeled/smashed/throttled and dropkicked-with "Phoenix thinking he'll never get out of Labrynthia, and that he can never tell Edgeworth goodbye." Some spoilers for _Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright._

I played around with the timeline for this story quite a lot, actually, and it focuses primarily on Phoenix and his diminishing memories of Miles Edgeworth in his previous life and not so much the rest of the cast except to mention some of them in passing. Its set in the _Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright_ universe but I do not make any mention of Professor Layton or Luke specifically-though it is implied but not outwardly stated-nor do I rehash events except to mention briefly and then move on like Espella's trial-and the outcome thereof-and Phoenix's battle with Inquisitor Barnham, Phoenix's and Maya's arrival in Labrynthia and how Mrs. Eclair takes them under her wing, so to speak. Unlike in the game, Phoenix never goes back to his previous life and stays in Labrynthia still unable to remember who Miles Edgeworth is though his heart yearns for him until one day his memory of him fades and his heart breaks.

I gave Mrs. Eclair the name of Patty as in "patti cake" of the children's game since I think it fits.

**Thanks** to my readers and all those who have favourited, reviewed, story alerted, favourite author or author alerted me. I appreciate it more than I can say! :)

**Thank you** to my beta reader, Pearls1990, for amazing beta reading, helping me fill up some plot holes and suggestions! Much appreciated! :)

**Special thanks** to my beloved husband, DezoPenguin, for all his help, support, advice and encouragement! I appreciate it more than I can say! Love you!

Comments are appreciated and welcome! :) I'll probably change some things at some point; always room for improvement! :)

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

There it was again at the forefront of his mind: that handsome face with dark grey hair and piercing grey eyes.

_Why does it seem so familiar to me?_ Phoenix Wright wondered for what seemed to be the one hundredth time that day. _I should know this face but..._ For some reason he couldn't fathom, this face was also of great importance to him but, try as he might, he could not remember _who_ it belonged to.

His heart ached and this surprised him even more. _Why_ would he hurt for someone he didn't even know? It was curious, inexplicable and confounding. Why did his heart ache so much for a face he didn't even recognize?

The question nagged at him as he was preparing to face Inquisitor Barnham at Espella Cantabella's trial on charges of witchcraft that was set to begin two days from now. He still wasn't entirely certain that he was ready and was already dreading the encounter.

He was so lost in his own miserable thoughts that he wasn't aware that someone was approaching him, her eyes creased in worry.

"Phoenix?" he heard a concerned voice ask from somewhere behind him and he was immediately jolted back into reality; he whirled around, a startled squawk emerging from his lips and his heart hammering in his chest. He closed his eyes for a moment until his his heart stopped racing and looked into Aunt Patty's face, her normally jolly countenance now creased in worry, her usually lively eyes now dull and sad. "Are you all right?"

His face burned crimson as he grinned foolishly, his fingers rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to compose himself. That something was troubling him was easy for Aunt Patty to spot since he had worked at her bakery for the past five years now; she had come to know, and love, both he and Maya, treating them both like her own children than employees.

A round woman with ginger hair, she was a kind and decent woman and Phoenix loved her like she was his own mother. She had taken both he and Maya in when they had first arrived here and had given them jobs and a place to stay. He owed her much and, given the current circumstances, the last thing he wanted was to burden her with his troubles when he knew how worried she was about Espella. They both knew what would happen if Espella were found guilty.

He was also nervous about the upcoming battle with Inquisitor Barnham, hoping that his fuzzy memories of being an Advocate in another place would be more of a help to him here than a hindrance.

He tried to give her what he thought was a reassuring smile but, judging by the expression he saw on her face, he had a pretty good idea that she wasn't convinced.

"Aunt Patty..." he began but she shook her head, her hands balled into fists and resting on her hips, giving him _that look_. The look that said: **I know something is bothering you and don't you dare lie to me.** He groaned inwardly; he really didn't want to burden her with further worry and he was only trying to spare her but he knew he couldn't hide the truth from her.

"All right..." he said at last, after a few moments of tense silence, raising his hands in a placating gesture and taking a deep breath. "I'm... _disturbed_... about something." He stopped again, trying to get his muddled thoughts into some kind of coherent order. How could he tell her that he kept seeing a man's face, one that he didn't recognize but which made his heart ache whenever he thought of it or he saw him in his mind?

He wasn't sure of why this beautiful, masculine face was so important but one thing was very clear to him: his heart yearned after this mysterious face and ached whenever he thought of this man.

She nodded, waiting for him to continue speaking. "I can see that," she said somewhat tartly, her voice strained and unhappy. "I want to know what's bothering you." She looked him straight in the eye. "And I know very well that its more than just Espella's upcoming trial."

His thoughts trailed once again to the man that was such a strong presence in his mind. He wished he knew who he was and what he was to him. Was this someone he dimly remembered from his hazy past life before he and Maya came to Labrynthia? He _still_ wasn't sure how _that_ had happened.

"Phoenix?" she asked again when the silence had become too much to bear, her brow creased further with concern. "What is troubling you?"

He forced his wandering mind back to the present, taking another deep breath.

"I...don't know," he admitted, his face reflecting his confusion over his dark memories, his brow furrowing as she looked at him, her eyebrow raising in silent puzzlement. "I... keep seeing a face that I don't recognize but, for some reason, I know that he's... very ... " His voice trailed off into silence.

She looked at his drawn and unhappy expression, her own softening. She could see that he hadn't meant to deceive her and that he was only trying to spare her further worry. She could hardly reproach him for that but she also could see that he, himself, was worried, both about Espella and this latest burden from hazy memories of a past time that it seemed he could barely recall.

Of course she was worried about Espella but she had also come, over time, to regard Phoenix like he was her own son and not just her employee. She could see how unhappy he was and she also knew that that he was worried; who wouldn't be, knowing that Espella faced certain death by burning if she were found guilty? Inquisitor Barnham was not someone to be trifled with which made him a very dangerous opponent.

After all, it had only been recently that he had regained some of his memories about him being a defence Advocate. This made his seemingly strange actions such as pounding the bread and pointing and shouting make much more sense. She assumed that he had some parts of his life that were still a mystery to him; that this bothered him was quite evident and her mother's heart went out to him.

Her own worry lifted somewhat with her concern over him, she stepped forward, laying her hand gently on his arm. She felt him start for a moment with the surprise of her unexpected touch and, after a few seconds hesitation, he laid his hand on top of hers in a protective gesture, patting it gently.

"Was he important to you?" she asked quietly.

He nodded. "Yes but I...-" he paused a moment - "don't remember _how_ or even _who_ he was." He stared at a point over her head for a moment before his gaze returned to her. "It's all a dark blur."

She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"I wouldn't worry, Phoenix," she said, giving his arm a comforting squeeze before she stepped back. "I'm sure that you will figure things out and who this face belongs to. For now," she continued brightly, turning and picking up the metal bucket that was behind the front door and handing it to him, "please go to Miss Mary and buy some milk. We'll need some for dinner this evening."

He grinned as he took the bucket from her and leaned over, planting a kiss on her ample cheek.

"Thanks, Aunt Patty," he said, his voice soft. He paused a moment. "I didn't say anything because I didn't want to add another worry."

For some reason, although he knew very well now that she was aware of his reasons for not wanting to tell her about the mysterious face, he felt that he should. He wanted her to know exactly why he hadn't wanted to burden her with yet something else to worry about. It hadn't seemed fair since to involve her since it was his hazy past that was causing all this trouble.

He grinned wryly; he might have known that she would get it out of him sooner or later. She always did. "I know you're worried about Espella," he continued, "so am I. I just... didn't want to burden you with it when I still don't understand myself. I wasn't trying to intentionally deceive you."

She nodded.

"I understand," she replied gently, her eyes glistening. "You're like a son to me, Phoenix, and Maya and Espella both I think of as my children. What mother would ignore her child's distress?" He smiled faintly as her hand reached out, patting his cheek gently while she dabbed at her eyes with the other with a corner of her apron. "I truly hope, for your sake, that you will remember this man's face one day. It's clear to me that he meant a great deal to you in your previous life and also that you were once happy with him." She smiled. "Now go and get the milk. Supper will be ready soon."

She turned and hurried back into the kitchen while Phoenix stood looking after her, a grim expression spreading over his face, his blue eyes troubled. Despite her kind words, he doubted that he would be able to remember who this face belonged to; it was like he belonged in another time and in another place. He was like a flicker in time and he was having trouble trying to remember.

He shook his head as he left, shutting the door behind him and walked down the path that led to Miss Mary's, his thoughts dark and his heart heavy.

_Three days later..._

_Aunt Patty's bakery_  
_9 P.M._

The questions still nagged at him even after Espella's trial was over and she was found innocent. His courtroom battle with Inquisitor Barnham had been fierce but, thankfully, he had prevailed once again, saving Espella from the flames. While the others celebrated jubilantly, both in the courtroom and back at Aunt Patty's bakery, he stood apart from the joyous throng, his eyes creased in pain, his heart aching.

_I... miss him so much even though I can't remember_ who _he is..._ The lump in his throat was large enough to choke him and it hurt to swallow. _I... wish I could remember..._

He breathed in the crisp, night air as he lounged against the door outside, staring up at the pale slice of moon hanging low in the night sky. He stood out there alone for some time until Maya eventually noticed that he wasn't with them and hollered at him to come and join the party. He shook his head once more and, with a deep sigh, pushed himself from the door frame and lumbered inside with a heavy heart.

Over the course of the next two weeks, the man's face had been coming less and less often; he'd noticed this beginning to happen in the week following the successful end of Espella's trial. More often than not, whenever he thought of him recently, he saw a dark blur over the face and even those expressively beautiful grey eyes were becoming more and more faint as time went on. It was like his mind was slowly obliterating him from his memory, this beloved face that he had once known, and probably loved, given the pain he felt in his heart.

Though he did try to remember, he never did. The mysterious man with the dark grey hair and eyes remained a mystery and, as time went on, the memory became fainter and fainter each passing day until, one day, it went out.

And Phoenix's heart broke.

**~FIN~**


End file.
